This invention relates to methods for controlling activation of occupant-restraining devices in a motor vehicle, in which data relating to vehicle motion is detected and used in an activation algorithm to generate activation signals as required for activation of at least one of the restraining devices. The invention relates also to an arrangement for controlling activation of occupant-restraining devices in a motor vehicle which includes sensors to detect data relating to vehicle motion and a restraining device control unit capable of generating activation signals as a function of the data detected and transmitting the activation signals to the restraining devices for activation thereof.
Such methods and arrangements generally are known in practice and have been disclosed in many documents.
For example, German Patent No. 196 32 836 describes an arrangement for activation of restraining devices in a motor vehicle in which the activation signals for one or more selected restraining devices are generated as a function of data detected by a plurality of sensors. First, use is made of acceleration sensors that permit detection of the acceleration of the vehicle in longitudinal and transverse directions. Second, at least one rotary motion sensor is used to detect vehicle rotation about a vertical axis. From the output of the rotary motion sensor, in addition to data relating to motion in longitudinal and transverse directions, skidding motions may be recognized which, for occupant protection, should cause at least some of the restraining devices to be activated, but which are not detected by the acceleration sensors.
In German Patent No. 196 32 836 an arrangement is described in which individual triggering of the restraining devices, such as seat belts or air bags, appears to be effected, in accordance with the direction and violence of an impact. In the arrangements described in German Offenlegungsschrift No. 195 20 608 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,148, which likewise relate to the activation of restraining devices as a function of detected data regarding vehicle motion, several restraining devices are activated in stages, to provide a yet more selective protection. According to Offenlegungsschrift No. 195 20 608, the several stages are triggered when selected limits are exceeded by the detected longitudinal and transverse acceleration values. In the arrangement described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,148, the triggering takes place as a function of the violence of a collision, which is determined from differences of detected velocities and the times at which pre-selected limits of velocities are exceeded.
A common feature of the conventional arrangements is that they disregard the relative stability of the current vehicle condition, although protection of vehicle occupants by restraining devices is required to a greater extent in dynamically critical situations than in less critical situations.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and arrangement for controlling activation of restraining devices in a motor vehicle which overcomes disadvantages of the prior art.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and an arrangement for controlling activation of occupant-restraining devices in a motor vehicle that will furnish improved protection of vehicle occupants.
These and other objects of the invention are attained by providing a method for controlling activation of occupant-restraining devices in a motor vehicle which includes the following steps:
detecting current vehicle motion data, in particular transverse acceleration, longitudinal acceleration, and rate of rotation about a vertical axis of the vehicle;
determining a target condition of current vehicle motion corresponding to the motion desired behavior of the motor vehicle which is within the scope of an electronic control for vehicle operating dynamics;
comparing an actual condition of vehicle motion, determined from at least a part of the detected current vehicle motion data, with the target condition of vehicle motion, particularly within the scope of an electronic control of operating dynamics;
supplying parameters for a restraining device activation algorithm used to generate activation signals based upon difference between the actual condition and the target condition of vehicle motion; and
applying the activation algorithm to at least a portion of the detected actual data in order to generate situation-adapted activation signals for activation as required for at least one of the restraining devices.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an arrangement to control activation of occupant-restraining devices in a motor vehicle includes sensors to detect actual data relating to vehicle motion, in particular transverse acceleration, longitudinal acceleration, and rate of rotation about a vertical axis of the vehicle, as well as a restraining device control unit capable of generating restraining device activation signals as a function of the actual data detected and supplying the activation signals to the restraining devices, and a device to determine the target condition of vehicle motion corresponding to the desired behavior of the motor vehicle, and wherein the restraining device control unit is capable of taking account of the target condition of vehicle motion in addition to the current data detected in generating the activation signals.
A particular advantage of the method and arrangement according to the invention is that the determination of the target condition of vehicle motion provides information permitting the generation of activation signals to be adapted to the situation in terms of the operating dynamics of the vehicle at a given time. Thus, by a suitable adjustment of parameters, the restraining device activation algorithm can be set to be more sensitive in dynamically critical situations than in dynamically less critical situations. In other words, for critical situations, a more rapid response behavior of the restraining device activation can be achieved without at the same time risking a premature or excessive activation. The decision algorithm for activation of the restraining devices can thus be rendered substantially more secure.
If a vehicle is provided with an integrated system for electronic control of operating dynamics of the vehicle to support the vehicle operator in situations involving critical operating behavior of the vehicle, then the method and apparatus according to the invention are useful in an especially advantageous embodiment incorporating the sensors and evaluating algorithms of the integrated system. The restraining device control unit can then be provided, without substantial additional cost, with the data already evaluated by the system to control operating dynamics concerning the difference between actual and target conditions of operating behavior, so that they may be incorporated in the parametering of the restraining device activation algorithm.
Furthermore, for additional optimization of the activation of the restraining devices, data concerning the distance of the vehicle from surrounding objects, such as for example other vehicles, can be included in generating the activation signals, especially in the parametering of the activation algorithm. Here again, recourse is advantageously had to the control unit, if present, for automatic distance regulation and its associated sensor system.
Likewise other control units integrated in the vehicle which determine differences between desired and actual conditions of the vehicle may be utilized, aside from their normal function, to deliver additional information to the restraining device control unit, which may then be taken into account for optimal parametering of the activation algorithms.
In another preferred embodiment of the arrangement and method according to the invention, at least some of the restraining devices are activable in at least two stages. Depending on the actual data detected and the determined target condition of operating behavior, or other data made available to the restraining device control unit, the activation of the several stages of several restraining devices may be performed in a differentiated manner. For example, an air bag may be activated more forcefully in dynamically critical situations than in dynamically less critical situations with the same detected actual data of vehicle motion, such as longitudinal or transverse accelerations. In this way, occupant protection especially well tailored to the current situation, and hence especially effective protection, is made possible.